Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Policing Tool? The EBKUST Experience

Quality assurance (QA) has become essential to higher education governance, driven by rising demands for accountability, transparency, and public trust in university credentials. In Sierra Leone, the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), operating under the Tertiary Education Act, 2025, regulates and ensures the quality of higher education institutions (HEIs). While quality assurance frameworks are designed to foster continuous improvement and enhance institutional effectiveness, academic staff often view them as compliance mechanisms that monitor academic practices rather than promote improvement. Quality assurance should not be seen merely as a policing tool. Instead, when applied transparently, collaboratively, and with an emphasis on institutional learning, it serves as a strategic mechanism to safeguard academic integrity, ensure fairness in assessment, and foster ongoing quality enhancement. The experience at EBKUST shows that rigorous quality controls in assessment—such as anonymous marking, conference marking, and second vetting of scripts—are not punitive measures but essential safeguards that uphold the value and credibility of university qualifications. The paper concludes that sustainable quality assurance depends on fostering a shared institutional commitment to quality, where compliance serves as a foundation for continuous improvement rather than an end in itself.